Running Head Annotated Bibliography And Source Evaluation 1titlename ✓ Solved

Thesis: College should not be free because it will decrease the quality of education, increase the drop out ratio, and produce negative implications on the economy of the country in the longer run.

Source 1

Annotation 1: Baraniuk, R., Finkbeiner, N., Harris, D., Nicholson, D., & Williamson, D. (2017). Free is Not Enough. In Jhangiani R. & Biswas-Diener R. (Eds.), Open: The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science, 219 – 226. Providing free education is not enough because the major factors which produce an impact on generating quality education system are the course relevance, support material provided by the instructor and the quality of the education system (Baraniuk et al, 2017). They mentioned OpenStax which is the ed-tech initiative started by Rice University. In this initiative, they have focused on providing the standard education and generating a system that attracts students to achieve their goals, which will compel them to get the resources even if they must work hard for it. They have focused on reducing the costs for them which will help those who do not have the means to access education.

Source Evaluation 1: 1a. It is a peer-reviewed article which was published in 2017 in the journal ‘The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science’. 1b. Authors are the prestigious professors of Rice University who have given their valuable insights in providing a better education system for students which will motivate them to work harder. 1c. This article will be a valuable addition in my research as it is providing evidence that there should be a focus on improving the quality of education because even if there is free education, it is not the goal. 1d. This source is persuasive in nature because it shows how reducing the cost of education or free education will not be enough.

Source 2

Annotation 2: Norton, V. (2018) Why free college is a bad idea. According to Norton (2018), free education is not a good idea for students themselves or the country. He claims that making college free for everyone eventually increases the student loan which is the major reason for stress among students along with their academic pressure. It will not be the solution to deal with debt which students already have. It will also overcrowd the institutions hence the quality of education will be under question in this case. The major fund for free education is provided by the property tax and in this way, property taxes will be increased manifolds. Only making education free of cost will be not useful for the growth of the country because, at the same time, the occupational shortage will increase.

Source Evaluation 2: 2a. This article was written by Vince Norton in 2018 which also reflects the current situation of educational institutions. 2b. Norton Norris Inc. is the organization that assists the students in their academic choices and admissions and is working now for more than two decades. 2c. The author of the article is an expert in the field of education which makes his insights valuable on this topic and it is a credible substantive source, which will help my research in identifying the deeper analysis of the reasons which make the idea of college being free non-practical and un-realistic. 2d. This source is persuasive in nature because it gives multiple reasons why college should not be free.

Source 3

Annotation 3: Horn, M. (2019). Five reasons why free college doesn’t make the grade. According to Horn (2019), college fee is not the major gap between the quality of education and economy of the country. He claims that making it completely free will rather deteriorate the quality of education because students will take it for granted. They will not work harder to strive for a better quality of education and cheaper options will be available to them. According to statistics, the dropout percentage of students is already on the rise and when it will not be hard-earned, the dropout ratio will increase, and government money will be wasted as well. He asks the educational experts to find the root cause behind the dropout to save the money and he is in favor of helping students who are in need, rather than making it free for everyone.

Source Evaluation 3: 3a. This article was written by Michael Horn in 2019 which also reflects the current situation of educational institutions. 3b. It is published in Forbes which is one of the most prestigious business magazines around the world. Michael Horn is expert educationalist who has experience of working for educational organizations. 3c. This article will assist in my research to pinpoint the major characteristics which need attention in the educational system, rather than just focusing on one problem of the whole system. 3d. This source is popular, and it lists reasons why free college proposals will not achieve anything but create bigger issues relating to today’s college cost.

Source 4

Annotation 4: Luebke, B. (2016). Why free college tuition is a bad idea. Free college tuition will just shift the burden from certain taxpayers to other taxpayers and it will not be useful for the economy of the country (Luebke, 2016). He argues that free college will attract more students who will specialize in the fields which do not have market value. The real change will come when the whole system will be hauled. The real change will happen if the strategies are rightly targeted and planned. According to Luebke (2016), it will disturb individual and institutional freedom and history has proved that participation of government in education never produced better results for the educational system.

Source Evaluation 4: 4a. This article was written by Bob Luebke in the Civitas Institute in 2016 which also reflects the current situation of educational institutions. 4b. Civitas Institute is a conservative think tank based in North Carolina. This source was authoritative and reliable. 4c. This article will assist my research in providing a better picture of the consequences that can follow due to free education. 4d. This is a persuasive source because it goes into detail that nothing in life is free and although it sounds good, we pay for it some way or another.

Source 5

Annotation 5: Vedder, R. (2018). The case against free college tuition. The author provides a compelling case against free college tuition in his article. He mentioned three major reasons behind this argument and the first reason is the poor quality of the academic record from the students who attend community college. He also claims that it will have poor economic implications on the overall system of the government because of the poor quality of education and higher dropout ratio. He mentioned the data from the National Student Clearinghouse which shows that 47% of the students drop out when they visit community colleges. It may have several other factors but when you get something free, then you take it for granted. His main argument revolves around a higher dropout ratio because of free education and the implications that it will produce in the future on the economic system.

Source Evaluation 5: 5a. This article was written by Richard Vedder in 2018 which also reflects the current situation of educational institutions. 5b. It is published in Forbes which is one of the most prestigious business magazines around the world. It is a popular journal and Richard Vedder is an expert educationalist and a distinguished professor of Economics Emeritus at Ohio University. 5c. This article will help me in supporting my argument with facts and figures and it also highlights the major negative implications which free education can cause. 5d. This source is popular and it is used to show how free college tuition may make it easier for students to walk away from a program or college course than they would if they had paid for it out of their pockets.

Conclusion

In evaluating whether college should be free or not, multiple factors indicate that the implications of such a policy would be detrimental. Free education may initially seem beneficial; however, the evidence provided by various experts and studies illustrates that it would reduce the overall quality of education, potentially increase dropout rates, and yield negative economic repercussions. The arguments presented by Baraniuk et al. (2017), Norton (2018), Horn (2019), Luebke (2016), and Vedder (2018) converge on the understanding that merely eliminating tuition fees does not address the underlying issues within the education system. In summary, reevaluating educational strategies while ensuring economic sustainability and quality of education should take precedence over providing free college tuition.

References

• Baraniuk, R., Finkbeiner, N., Harris, D., Nicholson, D., & Williamson, D. (2017). Free is Not Enough. In Jhangiani R. & Biswas-Diener R. (Eds.), Open: The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science, 219 – 226.
• Horn, M. (2019). Five reasons why free college doesn’t make the grade. Forbes.
• Luebke, B. (2016). Why free college tuition is a bad idea. Civitas Institute.
• Norton, V. (2018). Why free college is a bad idea. Norton Norris Inc.
• Vedder, R. (2018). The case against free college tuition. Forbes.